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Create New Tourism Experiences With Augmented Reality
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The SaurierPfad, honored with the Thuringian Tourism Award in 2019, made it possible to build a bridge between nature-based and virtual experiences for the first time. This pilot project for Augmented Reality in tourism was so well received that the city of Jena expanded its range of hybrid experience trails – as a result, the nature experience region natura jenensis was officially opened after a period of extensive preparation and development.
A Whole New Nature Experience
The nature experience region unites analog and virtual nature experiences, while leading through unique and protected natural landscapes, providing educational information and exciting adventures at the same time. On a total of four experience paths, there are more than 80 interactive stations that encourage visitors to join in and get thinking. These include:
- SaurierPfad: he focus is on prehistoric dinosaurs and the geological curiosities of Jena.
- WaldPfad "Schlauer Ux": Here, you can explore the native animals and plants of the forest.
- NapoleonPfad: A trail about the historic Battle of Jena and Auerstedt.
- Pfad der Ottonen: Both children and adults are taken back to the time of castles and knights.
- The nature experience center "forum natura": The information center raises people’s awareness about nature and sustainability
The mascot Schlauer Ux guides visitors along the paths from station to station – not only as an illustration on the displays, but also as audio guide on smartphones. He shares exciting stories about the local flora and fauna as well as historical events.
Broadening Horizons Digitally With Augmented Reality Tourism
rooom’s app offers audio guides as well as Augmented Reality objects and 360° panoramas that allow visitors to immerse themselves in other worlds and bring history to life. As a perfect addition to the visible objects on site, hidden natural and cultural treasures can be made visible by using AR: Shy animals, rare plants, extinct creatures or even castle ruins pop up on smartphones or tablets.
There is no better or more sustainable way to share knowledge. Squirrels in their dreys or wild boars in their wallows are not only shown up close, they are also projected into their natural habitat. To create the 3D models, animals from the Phyletic Museum in Jena were scanned with the help of innovative 3D scanning technology to depict them as realistically as possible.
The interactive 360° panoramas illustrate what the area looked like in past centuries. So, in addition to prehistoric or ice-age panoramas, there are also those that visualize the change in vegetation within the last thousand years. With the help of scientific data, the panoramas have been created using historical geodata and reproduced in 3D with great attention to detail. This made it possible to build a unique bridge between nature and virtual true-to-life experiences.
Target new audiences: Here’s how it works
The city of Jena has observed that the demands in tourism are changing: People no longer want to "only" hike through nature – Environmental education is becoming more and more important. Today’s tourists want to learn about nature and history on-site. The natura jenensis provides just that in an exciting and accessible way. Visitors can walk through Jena’s most beautiful nature areas and at the same time learn interesting facts about its nature and history – both in analog form and digitally. The knowledge transfer is adaptive: Depending on their own knowledge visitors can choose and acquire their content in a way that works for them.
An app with AR content and impressive 360° panoramas makes it also possible to expand target audiences: people who are interested in technology get a new incentive to discover nature and, therefore, even more young people are drawn to explore the local nature experience region. The concept is aimed at visitors of all ages – from school classes to groups of senior citizens – and can be used across all generations. The concept reflects the current trend, the app is intuitive and easy to use. It is designed for all conventional smartphones and tablets and can be used offline after downloading it. This turns a simple excursion into a memorable nature experience with added value for children as well as for parents and grandparents.
The potential of AR in tourism
- Sparks interest in culture & nature
- Provides a positive effect for marketing in tourism
- Expands target groups
- Makes knowledge transfer both fun & sustainable
Successful Utilization of AR Technology in Tourism
While the adventure trails offer an impressive nature experience in themselves, the high-quality digital elements – available via app – turn a simple hike into a truly unique experience. Today, more than ever, this is exactly what tourists appreciate and expect: being active while getting to know and enjoying nature – that’s how horizons are broadened. A lasting cultural contribution and a unique destination have been created for the region. But that’s not all: the nationwide appeal attracts tourists from all over Germany.
“rooom’s digital solutions are a crucial success factor for tourism in our region!The mixed reality app allows nature and culture to be experienced by people of all ages, and knowledge is conveyed in a sustainable way.”
OLAF SCHUBERT | Stadtförster Jena
Since the concept is adaptive in its implementation, future extensions and adaptations are easily possible. rooom’s content management system makes it possible to add more content and languages to the app without any programming skills and to tailor it to different target groups. In future, the versatile software solution can also be used for other projects in international tourism.
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